ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. bank — for money
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. sharp — clever
  6. saw — the tool
  7. ball — a great time
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. cold — an illness
  12. board — to get on
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. board — a committee
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. ball — a dance
  19. saw — the tool
  20. cold — not warm
  21. wake — a trail
  22. bank — of a river
  23. bank — for money
  24. board — a flat piece

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com